Alphabeasties

No ordinary abecedarian, this typographical trip will wow design fans and suggest creative projects with letterforms. The book s introduction speaks affectionately of typefaces just like people, they look different and have different personalities before embarking on a thrilling spin through the alphabet. The first spread presents an alligator s silhouette, made up of capital and lowercase As, as the repeated word algae forms green strands around it. A bat shaped from gothic Bs holds vampire connotations; tall, skinny Gs evoke the height of a giraffe that hides behind leafy, vertical folds; and breathless italic Rs make a rabbit seem poised to leap. Werner and Forss, a debuting team of graphic designers, devote page borders to extra wordplay: a C becomes the curved back and tail of a cat, a K s extended foot kicks a soccer ball, a cursive L is a lasso and rounded Ps nestle in a pod. Innovations arrive several to a page, rewarding repeat visits and encouraging readers to muse on the power of type and all that letters and words can imply or insinuate. (via amazon)